KCW Days 1&2: Upcycled Pillowcase Dress and Charlie Tee

Hi!  It's been a while, huh?  I have a bunch of things on my to-blog list, but I've been lazy about it this summer.  Kid's Clothes Week is always good incentive to blog, though, so I'm planning to get back to a little more regular posting again.

Monday was mostly prep, along with pretty much the easiest dress ever for E.  I was inspired by the Tiered Pillowcase-style Dress, but made it from a linen skirt I'd thrifted for myself a couple of years ago and never wore.  Pastel pink is just not a color I wear.  BUT it made for a super cute dress for the girl. 

Since it was already tiered, pretty much all I had to do was cut the arm holes and create the casing for the drawstring.  I even used the original drawstring from the skirt.  Felt a little like cheating!  I hemmed the armholes instead of using bias tape like the original tutorial.  I also kept it the existing width, which is larger than the pattern called for.  It's pretty roomy on Miss Skinny Minnie, but it also comes to mid-calf on her, so she'll be able to wear it for years.

Closer to the actual color

I thought I was done that night, but when I woke up yesterday, I decided I'd like it better with a centered bow.  It looked kind of sad and droopy with that narrow of a drawstring.  I ripped out the front casing, found a scrap of interfacing, and added two buttonholes.  Much better! 

It was crazy hot yesterday, so this was a perfect breezy little dress for E to wear.

Yesterday's make was O's billionth Charlie Tee (okay, really the fifth one, I think).  He found this Adult XL Stonehenge tee when we were at the Goodwill Outlet a couple of weeks ago and asked me to make it into one in his size. 

Speaking of, is there a Goodwill Outlet near you? There's one by my aunt's house, so we go pretty often.  Textiles for $1.79/pound?  Sign me up!  I have a ridiculous pile of things to upcycle, but at least this shirt is one thing done.

Lightened a little, but still looks mostly like a black blob.  Ha.

Not a whole lot to say about something you've made so many times.  I made my usual change of narrowing the neckband to 2".  I also zigzagged the hem this time, since he's been popping the hems I've finished with a twin needle.

Now I should get to work on today's project!

Ottobre Summer Basic Running Top

When I first discovered that you could buy wicking fabric a few years ago, I bought some questionable prints and colors in a coop, just because I was so excited about the existence of such things.  And they've been sitting in my stash ever since, because well, kind of fugly.  But with the convergence of the Spring Top Sewalong and the Spring Race Challenge, I decided to just dig in.  I wear a lot of things when I run that I wouldn't be caught dead in otherwise (see: super short skirts and leggings as pants), so I figured why not make a crazy top?

When I brought this fabric upstairs, Ray gave it the serious side-eye.  I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but I think it's better sewn up than it was as yardage.

I used the Summer Basic top pattern from Ottobre Woman 2/2013.  It doesn't get much simpler than two pattern pieces and some binding!  This is a straight size 36, but for future makes, I will grade to a size 34 from the waist down.  I like my running tops to have a looser fit through the middle, but where it comes in at the hips is just barely snug enough to stay up above my bum.

I followed the instructions as written, other than leaving out the clear elastic on the shoulder seams.  I didn't think it would be necessary with this fabric and also was concerned about potential chafing on long runs.  I even did the binding the Otto way, which I think is only the second time ever that I've done so.  I usually go for the serge on and topstitch method.  I'm really happy with how it turned out, especially the double needle topstitching.

I cut the neckline binding on the crosswise grain (I think? I always get lengthwise & crosswise confused) to get the stripes to to go the other way.  Since this is a 4-way stretch fabric, it worked fine.

I wore it on a 4-miler after I finished it up and was really happy with it.  I can definitely see more of these in my future, both for running and casual wear.

What do you think about this print -- hideous, cute, or somewhere in between? I honestly can't decide.  I also have a pale pink with tiny black flowers (everything about that is so not me) that is destined to be an XYT tank in the near future. 

The Birthday Shirt: Lego Hero Factory Splitface Tee [with Template]

Today is O's ninth birthday!  Most years one of his presents is a special tee (earlier shirts: age 5, 7, 8), often one that he designs himself.  We've been talking about this year's for quite a while.  His first idea was a half gunmetal grey, half red shirt, a la the Lego Hero Factory character Splitface.  Easy enough.  Then he showed me the chest plate piece and I said, "Oh, why don't we freezer paper stencil on the design? That would be cool!"  He quickly agreed.  On the one hand, I didn't need to sew a shirt (although I did hem the sleeves of a long-sleeved tee to get one in the right color).  On the other hand, I didn't look closely enough at the piece.  It is super detailed!  I could have simplified it, but O is a detail guy, so I knew he'd appreciate it if I made it as accurate as possible.  I would not necessarily recommend that you try to replicate this in one day or cutting by hand with an x-acto knife.  But that's what I did.

I started by taking a photo of the chest plate using a macro filter.  Then I used this tutorial (more or less) to make a stencil in Photoshop.  I decided to stencil the black outlines and fill in the rest with a paintbrush.  I'm sure there are simpler ways to do this, and you could definitely leave out more of the details and still get the general idea, but that's what I thought would work best for how we wanted it to look.  We decided to leave out the part below the belt.

Cutting took around 2 1/2 hours, even leaving out some of the smallest details.  My tips for such intricate freezer paper stencils (other than giving yourself a lot more time than I did) are to: 

• Print out a copy on regular paper to use as a map of sorts to keep track of the pieces as you cut.
• Keep the map and pieces on a tray so nothing gets lost.  I used a jelly roll pan.
• A hole punch works great for the tiny circles.
• Have a tweezers handy! 

After all that time cutting, I was pretty worried I would screw it up, but the outline turned out great.  Then I used a small -- very small -- paint brush to fill in the red and silver.   You could also cut the stencil so that you're painting the silver and red parts and then add the outline after.  It would be easier cutting for sure, but I wanted the placement of all the black elements to be exact.  Yes, I may have a problem.  The painting was actually really fun.  If I had spread this project out over a few days, I would have enjoyed it a lot.  It was cool to see it all come together.  O was home by the time I was painting, and he was really encouraging about how it was looking.  That was pretty adorable.

He went to bed before I had finished the silver, though, so the final product reveal this morning.  He was thrilled, which made the many hours so worth it.  We both agreed that the image could have been a bit larger, but that it looks good anyway.

He commented many times on how accurate all the details were and how I had only left out a few tiny things.  He said something like, "Anyone who knows Lego Hero Factory would know right away that this is Splitface's chest plate!"  Haha.  I think that's a small target audience, especially since it's a discontinued model, but I'm so happy that he loves it.

I can't imagine there are a lot of people out there who want a Splitface shirt and would like to put several hours into making one, but since I made the stencil template, I put it up here.  If anyone DOES make one, I'd love to see it!

Happy Birthday, O!

E's First Day

E had her first day of Early Childhood this morning.  I planned for her to wear an outfit I'd made during Summer KCW, but some of you may have seen my panic yesterday on Facebook about how it was going to be too cold to wear it.  I considered sewing up something warmer, but decided in the end to go the more sane route and just add layers.  I rarely make reasonable decisions when it comes to last minute sewing, so maybe this means I've turned a corner.  Not likely.

Last week when it was 90 degrees every day, I was thinking she'd wear her yellow Ottobre tank with her bee skirt -- she loves her bee toy so much that she even has one at school for motivation, so I knew her teacher and para would think the bees on her skirt were fitting.  It was much too chilly for that this morning, though, so she wore a white Jalie tee under a RTW knit blazer, and we added some tights as well.

She's also on her third year of using the owl bag (tutorial here).  I am beyond thrilled with how well it has held up! 

The Third Grade Tee

When I asked O last week if he wanted to wear his purple and silver tee for the first day of school, he said, "Aren't you going to make me a new shirt?  You always make me a new shirt!"  Which is true, except for last year when he was adamant that he did NOT want a special shirt.  I was a little sad that he had outgrown that tradition already, so I was happy to have a request again this year.

We went through my stash together and looked through some Ottobres before settling on a color-blocked Charlie Tee.  He was very specific, so I sketched it out for approval before starting. The pattern comes with some color-blocking suggestions, but he had other ideas, so I used the base pattern and split the front piece into equal thirds and added seam allowances.   It must have turned out how he envisioned, because I can't remember the last time he was so excited about something I made him.  His face lit up and he started clapping.  It was adorable.

KCW Days 6 & 7: More Tees

What happened to Day 5?  I had good intentions, but never got around to sewing.  Whoops.  Day 6 was spent cutting and prepping, two things I always say I will do before KCW starts and have yet to do. Maybe for the Fall challenge.  But probably not.

When I asked O if he had any requests, he said he wanted a purple shirt with silver stripes.  I suggested grey, thinking that would be easier, but no, he wanted metallic silver.  I wasn't sure what to do with that one, but decided to try cutting strips of freezer paper and painting on stripes.  He originally wanted the whole shirt striped, but I was concerned that would make it too stiff.  Not to mention it would take forever, so we compromised and did three stripes instead.

 

I used the Charlie tee pattern again. The only thing I did differently this time was a narrower neckband, since I used the existing one from an upcycled tee.  I think I like it better, so I'll have to remember that for the next time I sew one up.

When O saw the finished shirt last night, he immediately said he loved it and asked me to make him a long-sleeved one just like it for winter.  That was high praise coming from him!

I made E one more tee also.  Hers is Jalie 2806, which is one of my favorite patterns.  This is her third (one, two).  The knit is from a box of fabric a friend passed on to me, and I had it slated for this right away.  I really like the white on white floral.

I'm a big fan of the tulip sleeve too.  It adds just a little extra touch of girliness without being over the top.  It's especially cute on, but my model is still sleeping this morning.  I'll try to get an action shot later.

And that wraps up Kids Clothes Week for me. It was fun!  And this time I made a conscious effort to clean up as I went, so instead of being left with a disaster of a sewing room, it's still functional.  Woo-hoo!

Did you sew along this week?

KCW Day 3: Charlie Muscle Tee

It has been ridiculously hot and humid here this week, so yesterday's project was a quick sleeveless tee for O.  I used the Fishsticks Designs Charlie Tee pattern and trimmed off a bit of the shoulder, eyeballing it based on the Made Muscle Tee tutorial.

 

Next time -- if there is a next time, not sure if sleeveless is out of O's wheelhouse or not -- I will make the arm bands longer.  I measured and cut the ribbing at 70%, which is what I usually use for neckbands, but either I made a mistake or arm bands need longer ribbing.  Hoping it'll look less puckered when it's on? 

I'm quite pleased with how the hem turned out.  I seem to be hit or miss with the double needle, but this one looks pretty nice.

KCW Day 2: Seesaw Jersey Top

Yesterday's project was a top to go with Monday's skirt.  I upcycled an old tee of Ray's into the Seesaw Jersey Top from Ottobre 3/12, design #17.  She usually wears a size 5 top in RTW, so I traced a 104 for the width, but a 122 for the length.  The pattern runs quite short. 

Using existing hems makes me happy.

I don't have any yellow serger thead, but I did find some variegated pastel Wooly Nylon to finish the sleeve edges.  I was hoping the color repeats would be shorter -- I hadn't used it before -- but it adds a nice touch of color.

This may be my new favorite summer style for her.  Shoulder coverage, but more like a tank under the arms, which I think feels so much cooler than a full short sleeve.

Playing with her beloved bee toy

O's Birthday Tee: USS Constitution Style [with Template]

Originally guest posted at Once Upon a Sewing Machine as part of their Sew You Had a Boy series.

Most years I make O a birthday shirt.  Last year he even designed his own outfit!  His 8th birthday is next week, but he didn't have any suggestions this time around.

We recently went on a trip to Boston, and one of O's favorite things was a tour of the USS Constitution, so I used that as my inspiration.

My original plan was to somehow applique or stencil the ship onto the front of a tee, but fortunately I realized that simplicity is a virtue and a life preserver would be less likely to make me want to tear my hair out.

For the shirt itself, I chose the Fishstick Designs Patrick Curved Raglan, which I have sewn more than any other pattern.  It is definitely one of my go-to boy patterns!

The life preserver is a combination of raw-edge applique and freezer paper stencil.  I sewed the left side seam, then placed and sewed the applique before sewing up the other side.

I'm really happy with how it turned out, so I hope O likes it too!  If you'd like to make one for your own little history lover, you can download the applique and stencil template here.

KCWC Day 6: Jalie 2805

As I was sewing up today's shirt, view D of Jalie 2805, I was pretty convinced that it was going to be the loudest, ugliest shirt ever.  It is bright and busy, and I certainly couldn't pull it off myself, but on a four-year-old, I think it's pretty cute.

The orange knit isn't very stretchy, so I cut a H width/I length, which is one size up from what I'd been making for E.  It fits nicely.  I also made cuffs for the sleeves instead of hemming them.

I've had some problems with this type of placket before, but it went fairly well.  Only had to break out the seam ripper once!

Just including this one because it cracked me up.

I also made a Facebook page for SJS today.  You can find it here or by clicking the Facebook icon in the upper right.

This has already been my most productive KCWC ever, with one day left to go.  E had the most wardrobe gaps to fill, but I'll be sewing for O tomorrow.

KCWC Day 3: Jalie 2806 (again)

E's tulip-sleeved Jalie 2806 from the spring KCWC was probably her most worn shirt all summer, so yesterday I made her a long-sleeved version using the sleeve pattern from 2805. I also used the hem band to add a bit of length and avoid hemming rib knit!

With the hem band, it is very, very long. Tunic length, but kind of narrow, even on my skinny girly. I think it's meant to kind of bunch up a bit, and it is nice that it doesn't ride up when she puts her arms over her head.

I think with this particular knit, though, I could have cut a straight H, rather than a G width/H length that I used for her other one. It bunches some around her chest. Or maybe that's because of the band.  Hmm... I might try removing it and just hemming it to see what happens.

Have you looked at all the great things in the KCWC Flickr Group?  So inspiring!

KCWC Day 7: Retro Captain Rex Tee

It turns out O had very specific plans about his tee.  Not just any clone trooper helmet would do, it had to be Captain Rex's, and he wanted to be able to wear it to his Star Wars birthday party next week.  I was thrilled.  He's so picky about his clothes being plain, I'd thought our days of special outfits for birthdays were long over!

Captain Rex's helmet has blue accents, and in my stash there are a few yards of super soft heathered blue knit that has a great vintage feel to it, just calling out be made into a ringer tee.  Yes, another one. This time I used the Fishsticks Designs Charlie Tee pattern in size 6.

This was my first freezer paper stencil attempt and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.  There were a few spots I was going to touch up, but I was instructed to leave them, as Rex's helmet is scuffed up and stuff from battle.  My mistakes make it more authentic, I guess.

 
O usually loses interest in sewing projects soon after we finish the design process, but this time he was all over it.  I think the paint was a big factor, and perhaps some fear that I might screw up his beloved Captain Rex.  Ha.

I think the helmet could've been placed a bit higher, but O still said it turned out even better than he'd imagined.

And that's it for me for KCWC!  In each of the three previous challenges, I've sewn three things, so I'm excited that I managed four this time, especially considering how busy this week was.  A big thanks to Meg of Elsie Marley for hosting KCWC.  It's such a great motivator, especially seeing what everyone else is making in the Flickr pool.

KCWC Day 6: Girly Patrick Curved Raglan

No KCWC sewing yesterday; I was busy cleaning the house to make it respectable for the babysitter in the afternoon.  Oddly enough, the only room other than the bathroom that was reasonably clean was the sewing room. I did sew a gift bag for the wedding that we went to last night, but then managed to forget the present and not realize it until it was too late. This isn't the first time we've done that, so I put it in a very visible place in the living room to no avail. I'll be sending off a package on Monday, I guess.

The wedding had a baseball theme.

I got back to it today, though.  Regular readers (aka my sister and aunt) probably know that I can't get through a KCWC without using at least one of my TNT Fishsticks Designs patterns. I had a cut of interlock with an owl design embroidered on it from a few years ago when I'd gotten some PUL cuts embroidered for E's medium pocket diaper stash. The design was too long for a baby garment, so I set it aside and completely forgot about it until the great sewing room cleanup last week.

It was calling out to be made into a Patrick Curved Raglan, and in the middle of the night, I remembered this floral knit print on brown that I thought would coordinate. In the morning when I checked, it was pretty close.  I cut the usual 3T width/4T length and narrowed the neckband piece to 1.5" wide to girlify it a bit.

It needed a bit more of the solid brown, so I added ringer-style armbands, cut 1.5" wide by 7.75" long.  I also trimmed 1" off the length of the sleeve before sewing on the bands.

Only one more day of KCWC!  Not sure what's on the agenda yet.  There's been talk from O. of a tee with a clone trooper helmet on it. We'll see if he's serious about that request or not.